There's a Place for Us
by ZashleySilver
Summary: A collection of Samchel oneshots based on one of my prompt/theme lists.
1. Chapter One

**Chapter One  
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_Prompt: 2 A.M._

She was quite prone to nightmares.

Ever since she was a little girl, Rachel never seemed to let a month go bye without having a couple of nightmares here and there. They were usually about the people she cared about or an event that had happened to her. Her most common nightmares were her fathers divorcing, her holding the hand of the mother she never knew in a crowded area and then her mother disappears, and more recently, her drowning in an endless sea of ice cold slushies.

But that wasn't the cast tonight. Tonight, Rachel had a dream she had never experienced before. But it was a powerful one – powerful enough that she woke up with a scream and sweat covering her body.

The dream had just felt so real; more real than most of the bad dreams she had. There had been a boy, and the things she saw happen to him…

Remembering the events she saw in her mind made tears appear. What if…what if it hadn't been a dream? What if what she saw really happened? Or maybe would happen sometime in the future?

She had to know. There was no way she could sleep again without knowing for certain this boy was alright. So without a second thought, she grabbed her cell phone and dialed his number.

"Come on…pick up…" she mumbled as the phone beeped. Just because it was the middle of the night didn't mean he needed to take this long to answer.

"Hello?" a tired, groggy voice finally said on the other end.

"Hi, Sam," Rachel said with a sigh of relief.

"Rachel? Why are you calling? You know it's 2 A.M. right?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, I know, and I'm really sorry for disturbing you. It's just…"

"Just what?" Rachel sighed. She had to explain herself; she just didn't want him to laugh at her.

"I had a bad dream." she answered lamely.

"A bad dream," Sam repeated after a short pause.

"Yes…about…you."

"Oh," Sam's voice was suddenly calm now, Rachel noticed, as opposed to slightly annoyed and irritated from before.

"And it just felt so real and all these horrid things happened to you and I-I just needed to make sure-" Rachel was speaking very quickly now, rapidly becoming hysterical.

"Calm down Rachel, it's okay. I'm perfectly fine. I might be a little sleepy, but other than that, I couldn't be better." Sam reassured her.

"Really?"

"Really. I promise."

"Good. Sorry I called you. Usually when I get my nightmares I just listen to my Wicked soundtrack and fall back to sleep but this one was…different." Rachel explained.

"Do get nightmares a lot or something?" The question surprised Rachel. It was an innocent question, yes, but it just sounded almost like Sam…cared.

"Um, yes, actually. I have maybe five a month. It's no big deal though. It's been going on ever since I was little."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Rachel. Well, was calling me any help?" For the first time all night, Rachel smiled.

"It was very helpful."

"Good. Well, if you ever need to talk to someone after one of your nightmares again, you could call me." Rachel could believe this offer. It was so kind and thoughtful.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Wow. Thank you, Sam; for the offer and for this talk."

"You're welcome. See you tomorrow in French?" Rachel wasn't completely sure why, but hearing him say he'd see her some place other than glee felt oddly nice.

"Absolutely."

"G'night, Rachel." Sam said with a chuckle.

"Night, Sam." Rachel said before ending the conversation. She looked at her phone for a moment, amazed at what had just happened. Sam wasn't much like the other people in glee. In fact, he wasn't much like anyone else Rachel had ever met.

Rachel called Sam every single time she woke up from a bad dream after that night. And he never seemed to mind. He would let her explain what she had dreamt and why it had bothered her. He'd calm her down if she was becoming hysterical and get her to stop crying after the really bad ones. And then he'd just talk to her. He'd tell her anything and everything to get her mind off of the nightmare she had just had. Sometimes he would sooth her so much she'd even fall back asleep in the middle of their conversation.

After a while, Rachel's nightmares began to get less and less frequent. But she'd still call him. He just made her feel so much better. He was a real friend to her. Would a fake friend mind being woken every morning at two? It didn't take long before 2 A.M. became Rachel's favorite time of day.


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two  
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_Stand_

Sam noticed a lot of things that went on in school, and especially amongst the New Directions. Since he was still new to the school and glee, people didn't pay much attention to him. It wasn't that they were purposely ignoring him; they were still getting adjusted to the presences of the bleach blonde foreigner.

They would include him in outings and get-togethers. He'd go bowling with a large group of them on a Saturday, and to BreadstiX with Quinn, and to Puck's house to play video games with the guys. But he still didn't feel like he was a true member of their inner circle, or a part of the unexplainable bond that was formed by them. Sometimes they wouldn't see him sitting alone at lunch as they all shared a table together, or like today, realize that he was sitting in the back row before glee started while some had private conversations.

He had been let out of calculus before the bell, and decided to wait in the glee room to get a start on his homework. But pretty soon Santana, Quinn, Mercedes, and Tina had entered the room in the midst of a heated conversation.

"We can't let them treat Kurt this was anymore," Tina said as they all took seats in the front row, oblivious to the boy sitting just a few seats away.

"I know that no one likes us because we're a part of glee, but they just target Kurt more than anyone." Mercedes agreed.

"Especially Karofsky," Santana commented.

"I mean just today they've slushied him and thrown him in the dumpster. And it's not even lunch yet," Quinn said with concern.

"Do you think they pick on him just because he's gay?" Santana asked.

"It doesn't matter. They really have no reason to bully him this way." Tina interjected.

"Yeah, we need to rally the group together and make sure to always stand up for Kurt." Mercedes said as other New Direction members slowly began to file into the room. Mike came in and took a seat next to Sam, striking up a conversation about last night's Halo game against Artie and Puck.

Sam couldn't help but notice when Rachel walked into the room. It wasn't like he was waiting for her or anything; he just noticed something different about her out of the corner of his eye. Her head was drooped and she didn't walk in with her usual confident stride. And as she sat down, Sam noticed the multiple colors that stained her white blouse. It took a minute for Sam to realize that she must have gotten slushied more than once today.

"Hey man hands," Santana called over to Rachel, "What happened to your shirt? Did your Rainbow Brite doll throw up on you or what?"

Sam was caught off guard when he heard most of the other people in the room laugh at the insult. He was about to say something when Mr. Shue walked into the room.

"Okay guys, Sectionals are only a couple weeks away, and we need to figure our set list, whether we're going to have a solo or duet, and who's going to sing it."

"Mr. Shue," Rachel spoke up with a raised hand, "I have some suggestions that I think everyone would like."

"Newsflash, RuPaul, but you're the only person who likes it when you get the solo and the lead in the group number." Quinn grumbled.

"That wasn't what I was -"

"Geez, Treasure Trail, can you even comprehend the idea of someone else giving the ideas?" Santana shrieked, cutting off Rachel.

"Look, Santana -"

"Rachel, maybe it would be best if you just took a seat," Mr. Shue said calmly, "I would like to hear what some of your teammates think we should try out."

With a defeated look on her face, Rachel slumped back down in her seat.

"Hey, where's Kurt?" Finn asked. Everyone looked around, finally noticing the absence of their friend. And then, as if on cue, Kurt eagerly came into the room.

"Sorry for being late, everyone, but I have fantastic news!"

"What is it?" Artie asked.

"I got us a gig. We'll be performing my cousin's thirteenth birthday." Kurt exclaimed. Everyone's faces began to light up with excitement, and they all began asking Kurt questions about their gig.

Everyone, that is, except for Rachel. Sam noticed that she didn't look that excited at all. She still sat slumped in her seat, a tired look on her face. Sam felt like he new what she was tired of.

"She saw us perform at Regionals last year, and she knows exactly what she wants. She wants all of the girls to do a song together." He heard Kurt mention.

"Oh, perfect. Mercedes, Tina, Britt, Santana and I will rock it," Quinn said with a smile.

"What about Rachel?" Artie thought aloud.

"Rachel isn't a girl. I mean look at the way she dresses. She wears the same stuff my grandma was buried in." Brittany said seriously, causing Santana to giggle.

"Are we seriously making fun of the way I dress _again_?" Rachel fumed.

"It isn't our fault you dress like a 1970's Cabbage Patch doll, man hands." Quinn shrugged.

"Knock it off!" Sam boomed. All eyes turned towards him.

"What's your problem, guppy face?" Santana asked.

"You guys are the ones with the problem – all of you, it's unbelievable!"

"What did we do?" Tina questioned defensively.

"You guys are being so hypocritical! Why are you always treating Rachel so badly?"

"We don't treat her badly, we're her friends; even if she is the most annoying girl I've ever come in contact with." Kurt explained.

"You all talk about how badly Kurt is treated, and how you need to stop everyone from bullying him. And I'm not saying that Kurt isn't bullied, because he is, but you people don't even realize that you're being bullies yourselves – to Rachel. And don't even bother arguing, because you are bullying her. You bring her down all the time and treat her just as badly as the football team treats Kurt."

"Why do you care so much?" Finn asked. Sam rolled his eyes – Finn was Rachel's boyfriend; if anyone should be telling off the New Directions, it should be him.

"Because we're a club; we're a team – all of us. But what's the point of being a team if you just bring down some of the members? I'm just tired of it. Rachel is just as important to glee as any one of us, and she doesn't deserve to be bullied."

Sam looked over at Rachel. The look on her face was indistinguishable. She wasn't frowning, but she wasn't smiling. Her eyes were telling Sam a message that he couldn't quite understand. So as a response, he briefly nodded his head and gave a weak smile.

After Sam's outburst, Mr. Shue tried to take control of the rehearsal. He went on about song selections for their upcoming gig, and to his surprise, everyone stayed silent for the remainder of practice.

When it finally ended, everyone gathered their things and headed to their next class. Sam tried to hurry out before everyone else, as he wasn't in any mood to talk to them right now.

"Sam! Sam, wait up!" He heard a voice call out. He turned around to see Rachel hurrying towards him from down the hall.

"Hi," she said once she finally reached him.

"Hey, Rachel,"

"Okay I'm probably going to sound blunt, but, what was that back there?" Sam shrugged his shoulders.

"I just don't think it's fair how they talk about making sure Kurt isn't bullied while they bully you at the same time."

"No one's ever done that for me before, not even Finn," Rachel said with a downwards glance.

"Yeah, I think he should consider trying it, since he's your boyfriend and everything." Sam said with a forced chuckle.

"Then why did you?" Rachel asked innocently, looking deep into Sam's eyes.

Sam opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again. Why did he do it? Why did he tell off the glee club? They probably wouldn't like him much after this, and he really wants to be popular at this new school. And he just risked it all by putting his new friends in their place. Then, a small smile crept onto Sam's face.

"Someone needs to stand up for you, Rachel," he explained, "when they're all being jerks to you, someone needs to be there for you, because you deserve that much."

Sam began to walk away, leaving the small girl to absorb what he said. Once he was a few feet away, he turned around one last time.

"Rachel?"

"Yes, Sam?" Rachel asked, wondering what else he could have to say.

"I'll always stand up for you. Oh, and here," he took his backpack off his shoulder, unzipped a section, pulled out a green hoodie, and tossed it to Rachel, who caught it easily, "You can wear this so that no one sees the slushie stains."

Sam never saw the smile on Rachel's face that she wore for the rest of the day, as he turned around and headed to American History.


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three  
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_Sky_

"Mr. Evans, would you care to explain to us what outside is so mesmerizing that it's more important than the Cold War?"

Rachel and the rest of the students in her history class all turned their attention to Sam as their teacher spoke. Rachel could see Sam blush at the sudden attention and that the teacher had noticed he was looking out the window.

"Um, nothing, Mr. Briankos," Sam apologized.

"Good. Now, as I was saying,"

Everyone went back to what they had just been doing; some were taking notes, some were doodling in their notebooks, and some were watching and listening to the lecture. But Rachel didn't take her eyes off of Sam. He was no longer looking out the window, and was writing something down in his binder instead.

Rachel couldn't help but notice that Sam was often looking out of a window. In both of the classes she had with him, he always took a seat right next to the window, and would just look out it for the entire period. More often than not no one would notice him doing this, except for the rare occasion when Mr. Briankos felt the need to break Sam's gaze. And even sometimes in glee, if no one was performing a song, he'd have his head turned around to the high windows.

Rachel was a very curious girl. Once something peaked her interest, she wouldn't rest until she learned more about it. And now, she was determined to find out what it was Sam Evans loved about looking out the window. But how?

After forty minutes of strategizing, the bell rang. Not only had Rachel missed the entire lesson, but she hadn't figured out a clever and intricate plan into solving her problem. She noticed Sam had collected his things and was starting to leave. She wouldn't see him again until glee, and she did not want to wait that long. So with no hesitation, she grabbed her books and walked over to him.

"Hi, Sam," she greeted.

"Oh, hey, Rachel," Sam said, a bit surprised. They didn't talk to each other much in class.

"Did you, uh, happen to hear what Mr. Briankos said the assignment was? I'm afraid I missed it." Rachel asked nervously. She wasn't sure where she was going with this – she did need to find out the homework for the night – but she was just going to see where the conversation took her.

"Yeah, read the first two sections of chapter ten and write a summery of it," Sam answered.

"Thanks, I guess I just wasn't paying much attention today."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Sam agreed with an awkward chuckle.

"Yeah, I feel bad that he just put you on the spot like that."

Sam shrugged, "It happens."

"If you don't mind my asking, what was it you were looking at? Out the window, I mean." Rachel asked, looking up at Sam.

"Oh, nothing really. I was just looking at the sky." Sam said with a half smiled.

"The sky?" Rachel repeated. Sam looked at her briefly and nodded.

"How come?"

"It's silly; you wouldn't want to hear it."

"No, I do, really. Tell me," Sam looked back down at her as they turned the corner. No one ever asked him about things like this – things he liked and was interested in and why.

"Well, I really like astronomy. I like looking out at night and seeing all of these amazing things in the sky. And even during the day when the stars aren't out, I still like to look out at the sky. I watch airplanes fly by and look for shapes in the clouds." Sam explained. Rachel smiled.

"I like to look for shapes in the clouds too." Sam smiled back at her.

"You do? That's cool."

"Why do you astronomy so much?" she asked.

"When I was a little kid, my grandpa would let me look through this really cool telescope he had when I would visit. He'd point out planets and constellations and stars and stuff. He actually gave me his telescope before he died. It was always our special thing, you know? So every night, I look through it. I don't usually look for anything in particular, though. I just like to see what I can see."

"That's really sweet, Sam."

"No one on the football team really thinks that anything that isn't covered on ESPN is all that cool. Once Mike Hill starts talking about how cool the sky is, then I'll let them in on my hobby. But I'm pretty sure they'd believe that ballet is the coolest thing ever before they'd believe astronomy is," he said, making Rachel giggle.

"Well, if it's any consolation, I think it's cool."

"Why do you?" Sam asked curiously.

"Because you like it." Rachel blushed. Sam couldn't help but blush a little too.

"I think you'd be into it too, Rachel." He said, hoping she wouldn't see the pink in his cheeks as they stopped in front of the room where Rachel's next class was.

"Do you now?"

"Well, astronomy is the study of stars. And you're destined to be one; only difference is you'll be on Broadway, not in space." Rachel laughed and nodded at this.

"That's so true. Well, maybe I'll look at the sky through a telescope too sometime."

"Well my grandfather's is of very high quality – top of the line. Maybe you should look through that one," Sam suggested. Rachel smiled. The bell rang, signaling that the late bell would ring in two minutes.

"I'd like that," she agreed before slipping into the classroom. Sam smiled too, even though she had left.

He'd like that too.


End file.
